GP3: Tunjo tops Day 1 of pre-season testing in Barcelona

Jenzer Motorsport driver sets early pace in Spain

Oscar Tunjo posted the quickest laptime on day one of pre-season testing in Barcelona. The Colombian’s lap of 1:33.554 was two tenths quicker than the GP3 lap record at the Circuit de Catalunya set with the previous generation car back in 2013. The Jenzer Motorsport driver clocked this time in the morning session. In the afternoon, ART Grand Prix and Ferrari Driver Academy rookie Charles Leclerc headed the timesheet.

Dry and cloudy conditions greeted the paddock for the morning session with DAMS’ Santino Ferrucci first to lap in the 1m34s. It was a busy start to proceedings with the drivers and teams keen to focus on performance and qualifying simulations ahead of Round 1 on this very track in just three weeks’ time.

Tunjo shot to the head of timings early on, followed by Antonio Fuoco (Trident). At the midway point, Fuoco led the way ahead of Tunjo, Alex Palou, Giuliano Alesi and Matthew Parry.

In the final hour, Tunjo found some extra pace to dip into the 1m33s. Fuoco and Ralph Boschung also joined the Colombian in the 1m33’s, though a few tenths shy. There was a red flag at the end of the session when Sandy Stuvik went off into the gravel bed at Turn 9. The session wasn’t re-started.

Following a two hour break for lunch, the sun made a welcome appearance. Jake Hughes (DAMS) was first to set the pace before Campos Racing’s Steijn Schothorst broke into the 1m35s to lead the session at the midway point. There was a brief stoppage in proceedings when Jake Dennis stopped on track.

Once the session resumed, the majority of the drivers were concentrating on race runs. Leclerc rose to the top of timings with Schothorst two tenths adrift. Some teams opted for new Pirelli rubber with positions changing frequently in the final hour. Hughes managed to get within 0.031s of the Monegasque’s best laptime to move up to P2 before a third red flag period when Parry stopped at Turn 8.

There was just time for a final dash once the track was green; Palou jumped up to third demoting Ferrucci to fourth but Leclerc remained P1 at the chequered flag. Hughes, Palou, Ferrucci, Schothorst, Alexander Albon, Tunjo, Fukuzumi, Nyck de Vries and Konstantin Tereshchenko rounded out the top ten.

Koiranen GP’s Mahaveer Raghunathan did not participate during today’s test as he was unfit.

The final day of pre-season testing will commence at 09.00 tomorrow with a one hour break for lunch. The session will conclude at 16.00 local time.

Day One – morning session

Driver

Team

Laptime

Laps

1.

Oscar Tunjo

Jenzer Motorsport

1:33.554

35

2.

Antonio Fuoco

Trident

1:33.843

25

3.

Ralph Boschung

Koiranen GP

1:33.922

31

4.

Matthew Parry

Koiranen GP

1:34.036

27

5.

Jack Aitken

Arden International

1:34.046

44

6.

Tatiana Calderon

Arden International

1:34.081

34

7.

Charles Leclerc

ART Grand Prix

1:34.160

34

8.

Matevos Isaakyan

Koiranen GP

1:34.198

31

9.

Nirei Fukuzumi

ART Grand Prix

1:34.245

33

10.

Alex Palou

Campos Racing

1:34.345

35

11.

Jake Hughes

DAMS

1:34.350

27

12.

Alexander Albon

ART Grand Prix

1:34.441

34

13.

Kevin Jörg

DAMS

1:34.529

25

14.

Nyck de Vries

ART Grand Prix

1:34.565

31

15.

Steijn Schothorst

Campos Racing

1:34.623

31

16.

Jake Dennis

Arden International

1:34.715

26

17.

Giuliano Alesi

Trident

1:34.822

25

18.

Artur Janosz

Trident

1:34.823

25

19.

Santino Ferrucci

DAMS

1:34.928

29

20.

Richard Gonda

Jenzer Motorsport

1:35.122

24

21.

Sandy Stuvik

Trident

1:35.251

10

22.

Konstantin Tereshchenko

Campos Racing

1:35.261

29

23.

Akash Nandy

Jenzer Motorsport

1:35.902

24.

Mahaveer Raghunathan

Koiranen GP

–

0

Afternoon session*

1.

Charles Leclerc

ART Grand Prix

1:35.167

34

2.

Jake Hughes

DAMS

1:35.198

47

3.

Alex Palou

Campos Racing

1:35.205

40

4.

Santino Ferrucci

DAMS

1:35.371

41

5.

Steijn Schothorst

Campos Racing

1:35.376

45

6.

Alexander Albon

ART Grand Prix

1:35.427

38

7.

Oscar Tunjo

Jenzer Motorsport

1:35.451

38

8.

Nirei Fukuzumi

ART Grand Prix

1:35.576

37

9.

Nyck de Vries

ART Grand Prix

1:35.718

38

10.

Konstantin Tereshchenko

Campos Racing

1:35.734

25

11.

Sandy Stuvik

Trident

1:35.780

37

12.

Matevos Isaakyan

Koiranen GP

1:35.814

38

13.

Giuliano Alesi

Trident

1:35.934

44

14.

Kevin Jörg

DAMS

1:36.030

39

15.

Jake Dennis

Arden International

1:36.045

30

16.

Jack Aitken

Arden International

1:36.104

38

17.

Akash Nandy

Jenzer Motorsport

1:36.132

36

18.

Richard Gonda

Jenzer Motorsport

1:36.476

28

19.

Tatiana Calderon

Arden Motorsport

1:36.936

37

20.

Artur Janosz

Trident

1:37.163

37

21.

Ralph Boschung

Koiranen GP

1:38.542

46

22.

Antonio Fuoco

Trident

1:38.757

43

23.

Mahaveer Raghunathan

Koiranen GP

–

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*Car #14 (Matthew Parry) – All times deleted after car was found underweight